Health & Safety Guide: Keeping card terminals clean

Bira’s preferred card processing solution, Global Payments, has released a simple guide of best practices for keeping POS machines clean and sanitary.

In a recent survey 95% of Bira members stated they had been taking measures to clean their card terminals, the majority after every transaction. However, as with any electrical appliance, care needs to be taken to reduce the risk of damaging the Card Terminal when cleaning it.

Keeping your card terminals clean

• POS devices should only be gently cleaned with water using a lightly damp microfibre cloth, as using too much liquid can cause damage to the terminal.
• Do not use solvents, detergents or abrasive cleaners.
• Please refrain from vigorously shaking the terminal(s) to prevent triggering the damp alert or excessive wiping, as this can cause damage.
• Using protective films may affect the performance of the terminal, please get in touch with global payments if you’re a customer thinking of using a protective overlay, as this isn’t endorsed by PCI SSC.
• Do not clean any electrical connections or use alcohol cleaning solutions on plastic display lenses.

Disinfecting your card terminal

• After cleaning, the devices may be disinfected using an alcohol-based cleaner applied to a microfibre cloth.
• Do not spray, coat or pour any disinfectant or other liquid directly onto the device, or get any liquid into any openings.
• Take care not to get any liquid or foreign items into the slot of the smart card reader.
• Never use solvents, ether, thymol-based agents, detergents, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, thinner, trichloroethylene, or ketone-based solvents - they can deteriorate plastic or rubber parts.

Global Payments - takepayments

As one of the leading worldwide providers of payment technology services, approved service provider Global Payments has partnered with Bira to deliver innovative card payment processing solutions and preferential terms, designed explicitly for Bira members.